Northern cities 'have some of the UK's slowest broadband speeds'

Cities in the north of England have some of the slowest internet speeds in the UK, a new report has revealed.

According to data compiled by CityMetric, the average connection speed in Sheffield is just 15.4Mbps.

By contrast, the figure in London is 20.4Mbps and Belfast has an impressive average of 25.4Mbps.

CityMetric also noted that the locations where internet users can be "all but guaranteed superfast broadband" on a network using fibre optic cables rather than phone lines are "almost exclusively" in the Midlands and the south.

As a result, it has questioned the potential of the government's Northern Powerhouse project, which aims to rebalance the economy away from London and the south-east and stimulate growth in northern areas.

However, CityMetric said the disparity in broadband speeds "raises a question: is a powerhouse really a powerhouse when it can't even stream Netflix?"

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